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- Jan 1, 2009
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- 3,427
Two theories,
One woman, many knives.
Many women, one knife.
One woman, many knives.
Many women, one knife.
Dog's Head Utility-The First Thirty Days
- Thread starter LostViking
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
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- 6,139
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2013
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- 6,067
Sounds like the boat many of us are rowing!
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
- Messages
- 36
Gorgeous cat. 
daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 10,915
Just catching up on this now.
Small changes can make a huge difference in a knife!
Looks like they've:
1) replaced the hollow grind with flat (I'd do it higher)
2) made the clip straighter, less concave (way better)
3) possibly dropped the tip a bit in the process
4) reduced the inconvenient upper guard
5) changed the pommel shape
Looks good to me!
I'd actually recommend one of those as an all-arounder.
Small changes can make a huge difference in a knife!
Looks like they've:
1) replaced the hollow grind with flat (I'd do it higher)
2) made the clip straighter, less concave (way better)
3) possibly dropped the tip a bit in the process
4) reduced the inconvenient upper guard
5) changed the pommel shape
Looks good to me!
I'd actually recommend one of those as an all-arounder.
Blade grind is the same as current F/U. Pomel is the same as Next gen had it. The only new thing is straight (and slightly thicker) half guard.
daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 10,915
Ok, interesting. I haven't handled the most recent ones.
This is the kind of thread I like to read. Funny, informative, just a touch of sarcasm, and educational all at the same time.
Viking, you are a true gentleman, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
Looking forward to more from you, as even I learned a thing or two (y'all carry twine, don't ya?)
Viking, you are a true gentleman, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
Looking forward to more from you, as even I learned a thing or two (y'all carry twine, don't ya?)
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2001
- Messages
- 748
I'm late to the show, but LostViking did such a great job that I figured folks wouldn't mind revisiting the thread.
I found a NextGeneration at a good price several years back. It had features I wanted in a vehicle emergency kit knife. Plenty of blade length, toughness, half instead of full guard - so easier to use for general tasks. Plain edge, no serrations (especially not close to the handle where serrations interfere with doing many tasks. Useful pommel. Nice, grippy kraton handle. Good ole' 1095 carbon steel which can be easily kept sharp in the field. Thought I'd grab another one - its such a terrific design. - As you can tell, I hadn't looked at Ka-Bars in quite awhile. - No dice - discontinued. What the heck ?
They've got a new model, with a different name. Serrations. D2 steel instead of 1095. (Yeah maybe the F/U knife is an old outdated concept in today's world - but no way would you burden troops with a blade harder to maintain for non knife knuts.) And, of course, the price is higher - a lot higher percentage wise.
Thankfully, I found this thread. The Dog's Head oughta fill the role well. The upper guard looks bigger than on the Next Generation. And, the leather handle & sheath will require more attention. But the 'Devil Dog' scores points in terms of character. Thank you for the review - youve sold another KA-BAR.
I found a NextGeneration at a good price several years back. It had features I wanted in a vehicle emergency kit knife. Plenty of blade length, toughness, half instead of full guard - so easier to use for general tasks. Plain edge, no serrations (especially not close to the handle where serrations interfere with doing many tasks. Useful pommel. Nice, grippy kraton handle. Good ole' 1095 carbon steel which can be easily kept sharp in the field. Thought I'd grab another one - its such a terrific design. - As you can tell, I hadn't looked at Ka-Bars in quite awhile. - No dice - discontinued. What the heck ?
They've got a new model, with a different name. Serrations. D2 steel instead of 1095. (Yeah maybe the F/U knife is an old outdated concept in today's world - but no way would you burden troops with a blade harder to maintain for non knife knuts.) And, of course, the price is higher - a lot higher percentage wise.
Thankfully, I found this thread. The Dog's Head oughta fill the role well. The upper guard looks bigger than on the Next Generation. And, the leather handle & sheath will require more attention. But the 'Devil Dog' scores points in terms of character. Thank you for the review - youve sold another KA-BAR.
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- Jan 1, 2009
- Messages
- 3,427
Thank you everyone for the kind words!
I am pleased to see everyone is enjoying this. From the beginning, I thought this was a better route to take than showing the knife, the box and listing the specs. None of that means much in the woods. Plus it is just plain boring and can be found all over the internet.
I'm not done. There will be more to come. It will just be a little more sporadic in nature. The heat built back in up here. And I am sort of like a bee. When it gets hot, I like to be left alone, and I get a touch cranky. It is supposed to break later this week.
As I said earlier, my original intention was to strip this knife sooner rather than later. But since the coating is holding up better than expected, I have back burnerd that for a bit. I will add the O-Rings at some point to see if I like them.
In the beginning, I set out to see what this knife could do. Not knowing where I would end up. Just random woods and camp related stuff. I have to admit, it has surprised me with its capabilities. I am really getting fond of it.
I am looking forward to more woods time with it as fall comes on. This is my favorite time to be in the woods. Cooler, less humid, and fewer bugs.
Fewer bugs really stands out with me right now. My main trail into my woods has become somewhat blocked by a tribe of white faced hornets. Nasty little buggers. Between me and the dog, we have been stung seven times in the last three weeks.
Enough so that I have started traveling a different path. Thursday was the last straw. I got nailed on the back of my left elbow. The swelling and itching didn't start to ease until Sunday night. This with the application of Lavender oil, Benadryl, and copious amounts of alcohol applied internally.
As the mornings cool, I may go look for the nest. Me and the dog get nailed in the same location every time. So I have the general area. I just haven't mustered the fortitude to hang around and look. I have been stung by all manner of bees and hornets. These guys really have my attention.
The dog too! He got it in or around the mouth last week. He was not a happy camper. The problem is he wants to stay and fight. I don't. Seeing him running down the traill propelled by his back legs, while dragging his face on the ground let me know he got it good.
For my part, I find the KA-BAR of little use for protection. Maybe in a head on sword fight, I might stand a chance. But these hornets have hit me from behind every time. Once in the back of my knee, one on the calf, and once on each arm.
Personally, I think a video of someone with a KA-BAR sword fighting a swarm of hornets would be great entertainment. I just don't want to be the star of that movie.
On the upside, my new travels have brought some interesting new sights. Not the least of which was the biggest pile of Coyote scat I have ever seen. As I came up on it, at first I thought it might be human, then domestic dog as I got closer.
But upon further inspection, definetly coyote. And about a half mile down the trail, fresh bear droppings. I know both were fresh because we had heavy rains last night and these were fully intact. Always good to see critter scat. Even saw some turkey droppings loaded with berries.
I was making a fair share of noise. Bears are a lot like me, and don't care much for surprises. So I try and let them know I am around. I just don't want to have to try and reinforce that original Killed A Bar name.
Thanks again everyone!
More to come,
I am pleased to see everyone is enjoying this. From the beginning, I thought this was a better route to take than showing the knife, the box and listing the specs. None of that means much in the woods. Plus it is just plain boring and can be found all over the internet.
I'm not done. There will be more to come. It will just be a little more sporadic in nature. The heat built back in up here. And I am sort of like a bee. When it gets hot, I like to be left alone, and I get a touch cranky. It is supposed to break later this week.
As I said earlier, my original intention was to strip this knife sooner rather than later. But since the coating is holding up better than expected, I have back burnerd that for a bit. I will add the O-Rings at some point to see if I like them.
In the beginning, I set out to see what this knife could do. Not knowing where I would end up. Just random woods and camp related stuff. I have to admit, it has surprised me with its capabilities. I am really getting fond of it.
I am looking forward to more woods time with it as fall comes on. This is my favorite time to be in the woods. Cooler, less humid, and fewer bugs.
Fewer bugs really stands out with me right now. My main trail into my woods has become somewhat blocked by a tribe of white faced hornets. Nasty little buggers. Between me and the dog, we have been stung seven times in the last three weeks.
Enough so that I have started traveling a different path. Thursday was the last straw. I got nailed on the back of my left elbow. The swelling and itching didn't start to ease until Sunday night. This with the application of Lavender oil, Benadryl, and copious amounts of alcohol applied internally.
As the mornings cool, I may go look for the nest. Me and the dog get nailed in the same location every time. So I have the general area. I just haven't mustered the fortitude to hang around and look. I have been stung by all manner of bees and hornets. These guys really have my attention.
The dog too! He got it in or around the mouth last week. He was not a happy camper. The problem is he wants to stay and fight. I don't. Seeing him running down the traill propelled by his back legs, while dragging his face on the ground let me know he got it good.
For my part, I find the KA-BAR of little use for protection. Maybe in a head on sword fight, I might stand a chance. But these hornets have hit me from behind every time. Once in the back of my knee, one on the calf, and once on each arm.
Personally, I think a video of someone with a KA-BAR sword fighting a swarm of hornets would be great entertainment. I just don't want to be the star of that movie.
On the upside, my new travels have brought some interesting new sights. Not the least of which was the biggest pile of Coyote scat I have ever seen. As I came up on it, at first I thought it might be human, then domestic dog as I got closer.
But upon further inspection, definetly coyote. And about a half mile down the trail, fresh bear droppings. I know both were fresh because we had heavy rains last night and these were fully intact. Always good to see critter scat. Even saw some turkey droppings loaded with berries.
I was making a fair share of noise. Bears are a lot like me, and don't care much for surprises. So I try and let them know I am around. I just don't want to have to try and reinforce that original Killed A Bar name.
Thanks again everyone!
More to come,
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 6,139
LV - If you have a beekeeping friend, you might borrow his/her bee suit when searching for the nest. May not help a lot, as wasps have longer stingers than bees and can repeatedly hit you rather than just 1x, but it would at least protect you face, head and neck.
See, I learned something else from this thread - I had never even heard of this wasp until now and went off to google it. Turns out the far southwestern edge of their habitat is deepest east Texas near the LA-TX border.
See, I learned something else from this thread - I had never even heard of this wasp until now and went off to google it. Turns out the far southwestern edge of their habitat is deepest east Texas near the LA-TX border.
Viking,
Sorry to hear about your run-in with the bald faced hornets. Those little bastids are MEAN, no question, and they're not content to just sting once and fly off. They grab on and go to town.
Great review, and if the new EK series hadn't just been released I know where my future knife dollars would be headed. But alas I'm a one woman, not enough knives guy.
BTW, if you don't have a MkI, you should consider one. It'll do everything your DH did, while looking as cute as a puppy.
Sorry to hear about your run-in with the bald faced hornets. Those little bastids are MEAN, no question, and they're not content to just sting once and fly off. They grab on and go to town.
Great review, and if the new EK series hadn't just been released I know where my future knife dollars would be headed. But alas I'm a one woman, not enough knives guy.
BTW, if you don't have a MkI, you should consider one. It'll do everything your DH did, while looking as cute as a puppy.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2009
- Messages
- 3,427
I too am a big fan of the MK1,
A very underrated knife.
Like the Dog's Head, it does a lot of things very well and complains litte,
And yes, it looks great doing them. I like the puppy analogy. It does seem way less frigtening to the non-knife folks than the full on KA-BAR.
A very underrated knife.
Like the Dog's Head, it does a lot of things very well and complains litte,
And yes, it looks great doing them. I like the puppy analogy. It does seem way less frigtening to the non-knife folks than the full on KA-BAR.
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- Joined
- Jul 15, 2015
- Messages
- 126
Great photos and the tip about twine is the best clue I've been given in many years. (went out and bought a bunch and distributed to my get home bags and my dayhiking rig)
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2014
- Messages
- 3,646
If I were to take on any bee creatures with my Dog's Head, I would need someone nearby with an Epipen, and 911 and AirMed on speed dial. Severely allergic. Fortunately, the last time I was stung was when I was 12....and we lived less than a block from a hospital. It wasn't pretty.
But I am looking forward to tackling a few saplings in the future with my new toy. It hasn't had a chance to get worked at all yet. Other than showing off a little to friends and family (which they all admire), and keeping the handle real pretty with Fiebings Aussie Cream. I gave my daughters boyfriend (now fiance') a ZT770CF for his birthday. But after seeing the Dog's Head he informed me that if I ever give him another knife, he wants that one. So it's definitely out of the ballpark in the looks/showoff department.
Keep the wild ride going. This is one of the best threads on the forum.
But I am looking forward to tackling a few saplings in the future with my new toy. It hasn't had a chance to get worked at all yet. Other than showing off a little to friends and family (which they all admire), and keeping the handle real pretty with Fiebings Aussie Cream. I gave my daughters boyfriend (now fiance') a ZT770CF for his birthday. But after seeing the Dog's Head he informed me that if I ever give him another knife, he wants that one. So it's definitely out of the ballpark in the looks/showoff department.
Keep the wild ride going. This is one of the best threads on the forum.